DRESSING THE CHRISTMAS TABLE

No matter how big or small your Christmas is, you can always achieve a spectacular table setting with a few simple tips. First, you need to pick your colour palette. Are you going with a classic festive combination of red and green? Minimalist with white and silver? Or fresh and bold with colour? One of our favourites is the elegant and timeless combination of gold and white.

Once you’ve selected your colour palette everything else should fall into place. The flowers should reflect and compliment your colour choice, and always pick flowers that are in season over imports, as they will last longer and withstand our summer conditions.  Here in Australia we are lucky enough to have Peonies, Ranunculus, Hydrangeas, Calla Lilies, and of course Christmas Bush, just to name a few, in season right now!

At MARILYN GRACE we love a fresh floral centerpiece – it looks delightful and smells gorgeous too. Decide whether you’ll have one large centerpiece or multiple smaller arrangements down the table. We suggest for tables seating more than 12 two centerpieces at either end of the table works best. Fill the centerpiece out with candles and other special trinkets to make the setting personal and reflect your own style.

If your budget is a little tight this year, start collecting old jam jars and tins, wrap with twine and fill with flowers picked from the garden. Add tea light candles for a rustic garden Christmas. Use pinecones for name card holders to make the whole theme come together.

Whether you’re going for elegant or rustic, with a large budget or small, remember the holidays are about enjoying yourself with friends and family and the people sitting around your table.

Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

We’ve said it before, but Christmas truly is our favourite, holiday of the year! And here in Australia we’re lucky enough to celebrate the holiday season with the sun shining and the sand between our toes.

Whatever your Christmas tradition is, start dusting off the decorations because though we can hardly believe it, it’s only 4 weeks away!

It all begins with the search for that perfect Christmas tree. We love the smell of fresh pine at Christmas time so make sure you get in early to get the pick of the bunch from your local supplier. Then of course it’s time to pick the trimmings. At MARILYN GRACE it’s our tradition to buy 10 new decorations each year to add to our ever-expanding collection. Combining a bit of the old with a touch of the new is a great way to reflect on past seasons, and save some money too!

Your home can be festive no matter what your budget is this season.  Get crafty with the kids and make a fabric bunting, pompom garlands, and paint some pinecones! Or if you’re always ready for new and exciting decorations here are some of our favourite holiday haunts.

Papier D'amour

Pottery Barn

Papaya

Have You Met Miss Jones

Don’t forget that present wrapping is just as important! And there’s no need to get too fancy. Why not try the simple but ever so effective combination of brown paper and twine. You can even personalise it by painting chevron stripes or using smaller bits of wrapping paper to wrap around the gift as a band.

So start decking the halls and hanging the mistletoe! Regardless of how you celebrate this season, it’s time to put the work on hold and spend the holiday season with the ones you love. 

A NAUTICAL THEMED CHRISTENING

On Sunday the team at MARILYN GRACE bought a nautical theme celebration to life for a newly Christened baby boy. Sydney did its best to show off; with the sun shining bright and hardly a cloud in the sky, it was perfect weather for a lunch for 170 guests at Sydney Royal Motor Yacht Club.

The christening took place at the Greek Orthodox Church in Rose Bay where two large seasonal white floral arrangements on white plinths welcomed guests into the to mark the joyous occasion.

On arrival at the RMYC, guests found their names listed on the seating plan boarded by nautical flags, which spelt out the name of the newly christened little man. The nautical theme was then carried throughout the whole venue, from cute place cards in the form of marine signal flags to table numbers adorned with navy blue bows and ship imagery.

With splashes of red, white and blue throughout, the whole theme was topped off with fresh seasonal floral arrangements. Positioned in the centre of each table in tin buckets adorned with black and white stripped ribbon, the delicious scents of hydrangeas and carnations filled the room.

Each guest was welcomed to their seat by an embroidered pouch of sugared. At the end of the dinning room a chris craft cake was positioned between two stands of monogrammed cupcakes.

Centennial Parklands Gala Garden Party hosted by Tiffany & Co

At MARILYN GRACE we have a great love affair with Centennial Parklands. We love it because of its’ beautiful landscapes, wildlife, ponds, flowers and structures that have provided a stunning backdrop for many of our events, but more importantly for the beautiful retreat it provides to escape city life on the weekends.

For nearly 125 years the Centennial Parklands have played a central role in the hearts, minds and lifestyles of the people of Sydney. So it was with great pleasure that we were once again able to be involved with the Centennial Parklands Foundation Gala Garden Party hosted by Tiffany & Co to raise the much needed funds for the ongoing management and conservation of the Parklands to ensure that they are enjoyed now and by future generations.

The aim of this years gala was to raise funds for the Restoration of the Paddington Gates prior to the Parklands 125^th Birthday Celebrations next year.

On Thursday 18 October, over 300 guests arrived to the Paddington Gates to sip Laurent Perrier Champagne and indulge on mouth-watering canapés before being transported down to CP Dining for the formalities of the evening in a fleet of Tiffany & Co golf carts.

After disembarking the golf carts, guests were greeted by models emulating the infamous Breakfast at Tiffany’s Holly Golightly with her dashing horses before being seated to start the serious side of the evening…the fundraising.

Through the sale of 200 Tiffany blue Mystery boxes - five of which contained break-taking Tiffany & Co gemstone cocktail rings, a live auction of a painting, holiday and money-can’t-buy Parklands experience, a silent auction and pledges from guests within the room towards the restoration of Paddington Gates saw over $140,000 of funds being raised on the night. A sparkling result for the Centennial Parklands Foundation and their Events Committee.

Guests continued to celebrate the result in the Tiffany & Co cocktail lounge with a performance but the delightful Emma-Louise Birdsall before departing the event through the illuminated ‘Tiffany blue’ Paddington Gates on their way home.

We cannot wait to do it all again next year for this very worthy cause!

HALLOWEEN

We love a holiday at Marilyn Grace and Halloween is no exception!

Although Halloween is better suited to the climate of the Northern Hemisphere with the rich colours of fall and glowing pumpkins, there is no reason we here down South should not get just as involved.

Here’s a bit of imagery to inspire you to get decorating for Halloween.

Trick or treat!

EVENT TRENDS

Here we take a quick look back at the three biggest trends in events for 2012.

1.     SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media is playing a huge part in our clients decisions on event spend. It’s about taking a VIP party and encouraging guests to upload on to one of the many popular social media platform such as twitter, facebook and instagram to spread the experience. This allows for a greater reach rather then limiting event to just those that were in attendance.

2.THE FIVE SENSES

Touch: eclectic lounge vignettes that combine patterns and colours for a more luxe, personal selection.

Sight: stunning lighting, smart and different surface spaces and sizes. It is less about perfect symmetry and more about using lighting to highlight key design elements within the room to maximise the effect. Lighting can make or break an event.

Taste: Celebrity chefs and mixologists are leading the charge. Both clients and guests love a menu designed by celebrity chefs or even better yet, be in attendance. Other key trends include organic, home grown produce and gastronomy.

Hearing: with the rise of reality talent shows and celebrities turning their hands to the decks and DJ’ing, there is a lot more options. Once upon a time you could only secure a celebrity DJ trough contacts, but now you can have a celebrity spin their tunes at your event and that adds an 
extra WOW factor.

Smell: Aromatherapy is playing a much bigger part in events to make the space more inviting, particularly scented hallways and bathrooms. Our favourite is the

Jo Malone event service where every experience is designed to pamper and leave guests with a scented memory.

 

3.     OPPULENCE IS BACK

After a slight hiatus, mainly due to the global financial crisis, opulence is back in at events but in a far more understated manner. It’s upscale but downscale. It is less about throwing money at making all elements completely over the top and more about spending on elements such as venues, food, waitstaff, paper stock and finishes for invitations that impress but don’t gloat.